Rachael DeVaux passionate about wholesome, clean food

It’s not every day you’re invited to the Dr. Oz show to speak to the diet component of a new health program. But for CPHHS dietetics alumna Rachael DeVaux, BS ’15, her social media clout paid off when she received a call to be a guest on the Sept. 7 taping of the show.

The date was serendipitous because Rachael had already booked a trip to New York for Sept. 3–Sept. 9. The show contacted her when it needed a dozen influencers to comment and participate in a new health program, The Regimen.

Rachael was one of two speakers on the show commenting on how easy the health portion of the program was to follow. She will be sharing her personal experience on the program over the next several months.

“I truly believe our diet is 100 percent vital to our overall health and well-being,” she says. “We need to educate people about how to get the proper nutrients into their bodies, which allows them to function at optimal capacity and feel their best.”

Dr. Oz poses with Rachael at the Sept. 7 taping of the show

Rachael is living her passion and showing her followers that healthy eating can be simple, delicious and wholesome. Her website, Rachael’s Good Eats, is dedicated to recipes, food and product reviews, and lifestyle articles. Her Instagram – @rachaelsgoodeats – following is at nearly 200k, and she wants people to know that with small steps, anyone can supercharge their health.

Rachael says that changing your entire lifestyle overnight is impossible and impractical, and it’s the long-term positive changes that lead to lifestyle changes. “Commit to learning new, healthy habits as you throw out the unhealthy ones,” she says. “Surround yourself with people and resources that will allow you to accomplish your new health goals.”

CPHHS as a springboard

Following her graduation from the CPHHS last spring, Rachael was accepted into the University of Northern Colorado’s Distance Dietetic Internship. She finished her last rotation in April and passed the Registered Dietitian exam in July. Since then, she’s been busy building her brand through social media, her website, networking, speaking engagements and her recent television appearance.

“Rachael made her way through the rigorous science and professional coursework that makes up the OSU dietetics program quietly requiring little assistance from me as director until the internship application process,” CPHHS Assistant Professor Neilann Horner says. “While we were training nutrition students to use social media platforms in health messaging, Rachael’s relevant culinary creativity and media skills were already off the chart. She seems to be in touch with what people need from their food beyond the milligrams and macronutrient arguments.”

“I never thought I’d have so many opportunities this soon after college,” Rachael says. “The health and nutrition community is absolutely incredible, and I’m so proud to be a part of it and have a platform to promote it.”

Fit for a foodie

For a woman with thousands of recipes in her collection, narrowing it down to her personal favorites is no simple feat.

“I’d have to say my omelettata and cilantro avocado sauce top the list,” she says. “The omelettata is a mix between an omelette and a frittata because it’s too dense to flip. It doesn’t require any baking; you just broil for a few minutes in the oven. You can put the cilantro avocado sauce on anything and it tastes amazing.”

With the holidays just around the corner, Rachael shares one of her favorite recipes with her alma mater.

“This is the best ‘healthified’ desert you could possibly bring to Thanksgiving dinner to impress your friends and family,” she says.

Healthy Carrot Cake with Cashew Frosting

Cake:

1 C whole wheat flour

1 C coconut flour

4 pasture-raised eggs

⅓ C raw honey

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 C unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 ⅓ tsp cinnamon

3 cups shredded carrots

¾ C pecans, crushed

Frosting:

2 ¾ C raw cashews

¼ C raw honey

½ tsp vanilla

2 ½ Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ C water

Directions:

Soak cashews in a bowl of warm water for two hours. Drain, rinse and add to high powered blender with other ingredients listed for frosting and blend for 4-5 minutes until smooth. Place in fridge to cool and thicken.